A New Tide
by NKitetsu
Summary: A One Piece based fanfiction centered around the adventures of Aria and the Rain Pirates. Little do they know of the dark secrets surrounding Aria's unknown history, and the sinister Captain Mamoka, one of the four emperors of the sea.
1. Prologue

**Hi! Welcome to A New Tide, a One Piece based fanfiction focusing on a new crew of pirates and their adventures many years after the Star Hats finished their adventures.**

**So, I know lots of people hate the concept of OCs, but I found myself being able to flex my creativity much more by creating original characters and settings, and placing it many years after the original OnePiece story took place. Of course, if the thought of OCs off puts you, this is not the story for you, and that's okay! But, if you're willing to give me a chance, I think I can take you through a really fun adventure set in the One Piece universe.**

**So, yeah. I honestly had a lot of trouble writing this first chapter, as I wasn't exactly sure how much of this inciting incident I wanted to show. There are still more mysteries to uncover, but everything after this should be much more fluid. I hope those of you that choose to read enjoy!**

* * *

Prologue

Scarlett woke up to the sound of a child screaming. Instinctively she sat up and rushed over in the direction of the sound, clamping a hand over the mouth of the younger boy. It was a shame that this has become such a common occurrence that Scarlett was always ready for it. She had to stay still and pray one of their captors didn't hear anything. After a few seconds of silence, except for the slight whimpers of the boy she was holding down, she relaxed.

"Tell me what's wrong, quietly and quickly." She slowly took her hand away from the boy's mouth, although her arm was ready to shush him again if so necessary.

"I-I think I'm sick. L-like Sarah was before she…" The boy trailed off, covering his mouth to stop a cry of pain. Scarlett's red eyes darkened as she processed the words. The unnamed sickness had been ravaging the young children of their island, although she wasn't surprised. A bunch of kids building ships for slavers wasn't exactly good for one's health.

"I know it hurts, but you'll be in more pain if any of those bastards here you crying this late at night. Just be strong buddy." She gave him a half-hearted pat on the shoulder and went back to her blanket if it could even be called that. It was a mast from a wrecked ship that she had torn up and distributed among the kids. Thinking about it brought her mind to their circumstances, and she couldn't help the anger welling up inside her.

Scarlett was mature for a ten-year-old, but that could easily be attributed to her upbringing. She had been a slave since her birth, being sold off to the residents of Tetra island when she was about five. At the time she was barely able to understand entirely what was going on, but it didn't take long to figure it out, what with the beatings, starvation, and occasional broken arm for the more severe cases. This operation had been running for a long time, as there was a thirteen-year-old named Sam who was in charge of the kids when she arrived. He preached to the kids tales of escape, of eventually getting away from this hell they lived in and making their lives their own.

He died when Scarlett was eight.

That day was when the light disappeared from her eyes. Any hope of escape had faded away with Sam's body, and while Scarlett was named the de facto leader by the other children, she wasn't Sam. She was smart, able to keep the kids moving, but she wasn't exactly the best at inspiring hope. It's not like she didn't try, but her lifeless eyes made it hard for the other children to have much hope.

Scarlett just wanted to go back to sleep. Days in the west blue got longer around this time of year, which meant every hour of moonlight was precious. Every time she slept, it just got her closer to being out of this hell...alive or dead, and at this point, she didn't care which.

She had just started to finally drift off when she heard the soft cry of a child. She almost chose to ignore it, but she soon realized that it wasn't coming from the group of kids, but from the shore of the beach, they slept near. Some of the older kids realized the same thing, as they got up to investigate along with Scarlett. Walking around during night was risky, but it was better they found whatever was crying, rather than their captors.

It didn't take long to find the source of the crying, the small group of five kids jogged over to the small girl that had washed up on the beach. She was covered in sand and completely soaked from drifting in the ocean, and Scarlett knelt to check to see if she was hurt. Thankfully the girl seemed mostly okay, but soon her eyes were brought to the more striking features of the girl. She had hair the color of the ocean, the only bright color in the otherwise dull moonlight. Not only that, but she was strikingly skinny, more than likely from starving while floating through the ocean. But more than that...she had black markings all over her back. They seemed to be tattoos of some kind, but Scarlett doubted they were voluntary, considering the girl appeared to only be around five years old.

"What on Earth…" Scarlett murmured to herself as she inspected the markings. They didn't just stop on her back, extending out to the backside of her arms.

"Scar, where did she come from?" One of the younger boys tugged on Scarlett's long brown hair as he asked, causing her to swat his hand away.

"I don't know...someone so get her some blankets. She'll freeze at this rate." Scarlett picked the girl up, sagging slightly as she stood up. She was oddly heavy for a girl so malnourished, like she was made of lead. Thankfully, moving around so many ship parts had helped Scarlett build up a decent amount of strength. She shifted the girl in her arms and trudged back to the camp, laying her on the pile of blankets the other had gathered. By now, everyone was awake, and about thirty kids all gathered around to see the new child in their midst.

"Do ya think she dyed her hair?" Scarlett chopped the girl on the head who asked, her heart beating in anticipation as she waited for the girl to wake up. Provided she wasn't dead of course, she had forgotten to check.

Thankfully that didn't seem to be the case as the girl started to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around, not seeming very disturbed by the crowd of kids all gathered around her. Instead, she asked a more surprising question.

"Um, can any of you tell me who I am?"

Oh. Well, that wasn't what Scarlett expected. She wordlessly shook her head and the unnamed girl just puffed up her cheeks a bit.

"Man, I was hoping wherever I showed up someone would know…"

_Is this girl serious? _Scarlett couldn't help thinking to herself. She looked to be near death, and didn't even know where or who she was, and yet she didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"You don't remember anything?" The second oldest girl named Sophie stepped forward. She was only a few months younger than Scarlett and much more hopeful. Every time Scarlett looked into those big eyes, she felt her heart sink. The girl shook her head.

"Nu-uh. I woke up in the ocean and didn't know what had happened. I remember bits and pieces...mostly someone throwing me into the water, but other than that nothing." Everyone stared at her in wonder. She wasn't a slave, she was just unlucky. Scarlett's stomach knotted up, now another kid had to live in this hell, and she wasn't even meant to be here.

This wasn't fair to her. Well, it wasn't fair to any of them, but someone had consciously put them in this situation. She ended up here by chance, what kind of sick joke was that? Maybe...maybe destiny was a bunch of bull.

"So you have no idea how you got here, no idea who you are...and of all places to end up, you're on a slave island." Scarlett chuckled, shaking her head. "No. That's not how things are gonna be this time."

The other kids looked at her with confused faces, all except for some of the older ones who seemed to have come to the same thought as her.

"Listen, girl, right now you're in hell." Scarlett walked over to her and sat down, letting out a short breath. "But you don't deserve that, not any more than we do. I'll be honest, I had accepted the fact that I was probably going to die before I became a teenager...but you're proof that not everything should be set in stone. Everyone…" Scarlett looked up at the people she had grown up with, the only family she's ever known. "It's time to follow in Sam's footsteps, and plan a way to get off this island."

Everyone looked surprised. Along with Sam's death came the notion that escape was impossible, a fact Scarlett had never tried to disprove. But this time they saw something in this girl that had come from the sea. An innocence that shouldn't be tainted by mere happenstance. They wanted to cheer, scream, cry, but there was no point in blowing everything just because they got a little excited. No, now was the time to be smart and press forward. Their excitement was cut off by the young girl who had started all of this.

"I don't understand what's going on, but um, thank you for saving me!" She gave a big bright smile and her gray eyes twinkled in the moonlight, and with that everyone realized something else they had to do. This girl had to be hidden, her innocence and optimism protected from the wrath of those that enslaved them. As long as she stayed how she was, they would have a sense of happiness to look forward to once they escaped.

"No, you might be the one that saved us."

* * *

Scarlett named the girl Aria after a song called the Aria of the Ocean that Sam would always sing to everyone as they fell asleep. It was meant to inspire hope and seemed like the perfect name to give the girl who saved them.

Hiding her wasn't exactly easy, the people who held them there weren't the smartest, but their leader Giorno noticed the shift in the kid's moods almost immediately. He interrogated some of the younger kids, thinking he could grill them easily, but Aria had brought new confidence to everyone. Of course, they would never tell her this resulted in the deaths of a few of the kids...torture wasn't built for seven-year-olds.

Still despite this none of the ever wavered. Even as the years went on and Giorno got crueller, desperately trying to figure out what the kids were hiding, no one ever gave Aria up.

During all of this Scarlett started to train some of the older kids how to fight. It's not like she was an expert herself, but many of their nights were spent sparring as much as they could. Giving up a bit of sleep was worth the prospect of getting out of here. When they weren't sparring, they were planning their escape as much as possible. Setting fire to the island, subduing Giorno, and stealing one of the ships they had built, all of it was planned down to the letter. Sophie stole books to study Navigation. Edward, the oldest boy on the island, stole away food to learn how to cook as best he could. As they grew older, their hope grew more and more, and the day to enact their plan was decided to be the day of Aria's thirteenth birthday.

Of course, they didn't know exactly when she was born, and their guess on her age may have been wrong, but setting out eight years after Aria washed up seemed appropriate. After all, Scarlett was eight when she began to lead their group.

As she grew up, Aria began to become more reserved. At some point, she had figured out everything that was going on around the island, everyone that had died to keep her secret safe, and it had affected her in a big way. Not because they were willing to do it for her, but because they had hidden it from her. These people had become her family, her _Nakama, _she didn't think there would be any secrets between them.

So the secrets fell away, and the horrible truth was fully revealed to Aria. And while she agreed to stay hidden, she wouldn't be babied by them anymore, she would help. And with this resolution came a surprising truth...Aria was anything but normal. It was obvious the first time Aria tried joining in for combat training and accidentally punched a tree down.

"D-did I just do that?" Aria's voice was shaking slightly, as she looked at her hands with newfound fear. A few of the kids even looked a bit scared as they glanced at the tree with the obvious fist print in it.

Scarlett rushed over and pulled her younger "sister" into a hug, trying to quell her worries, shooting a disapproving look to her frightened siblings. They hung their heads and left the two alone, going to continue their training further away.

"F-first my memory loss, then the marks on my back growing and changing as I grew up, now this. What am I, Scarlett?"

"My sister, and that's what matters." Scarlett hugged her tighter, desperately trying to bring back the optimism that had pushed her thus far. Aria looked up into Scarlett's eyes, her grey ones welling up with hints of tears.

"B-but, what if I accidentally hurt someone? All of you already suffer so much for me, what if I'm the one that causes the pain next time? What if my memories come back and I was some sort of monster?" Aria's voice cracked with sadness. She was able to put up with the thought of her siblings getting hurt for her sake, but if she was the one who hurt them...she couldn't ever forgive herself. Despite this though, Scarlett delivered a soft chop to Aria's head.

"You couldn't hurt us even if you wanted to. You're our little sister that we have to take care of, we won't be weak enough to let you hurt us. So don't worry!" Scarlett smiled the same smile that always brought Aria up when she was down. She nodded, giving a small smile of her own.

"Alright, I could never hurt anyone as strong as Scarlett anyway!" She buried her face in Scarlett's chest and hugged her tightly. Scarlett had to hold back a wheeze as she felt her body being crushed. She had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time.

* * *

Finally, after eight long years, the day came. Everyone got the best possible sleep they could the night before in preparation for their night of escape in just a measly twenty-four hours. A lot of them had died from the conditions and the torture, and new kids had been brought over the years, only to be introduced to the new way of life. But now it was time. No more deaths, and no more fear.

Scarlett gathered along with the stealthiest kids they had, gathering together to oil and matches they had managed to scavenge over the years. Starting the fire in the middle of the forest was their best bet, as the number of trees would ensure the fire grew uncontrollable rather fast. But as Scarlett and her group started to lay out the oil, she spotted something through the trees that made her heart sink. A pirate ship, and not one they had been forced to make. She knew it didn't belong to Giorno's group, which meant an unknown group of pirates were here. They couldn't escape tonight, they weren't ready to deal with an unknown factor, so they decided to head back to their camp.

She heard the screaming as they were coming close to the camp, and the heat from the flames made her realize the screaming wasn't the normal night terrors. She sprinted towards the camp, seeing the injured and mostly dead bodies of her family. She crouched down next to Sophie, desperate for answers, but her sister only sputtered out three words.

"They...found...Aria…" She coughed out some blood onto Scarlett's face before the bright light in her eyes wavered slightly. "I...wanted...to sail...with all of you…" She coughed once more before slumping in Scarlett's arms, dead.

"Sophie…" Scarlet wanted to cry, scream, something, but she knew she had to get Aria. At the very least, Aria had to escape. She wasn't supposed to be here, and she sure as hell wasn't going to die here. Wiping the sting from her eyes of oncoming tears, she closed Sophie's eyes and stood up, staring at the carnage with an intense rage that flooded her entire being.

She ran into the section of the forest where they had hidden Aria, stowing her away in a small hollow under some tree roots they had cleared out. How did they find her? Did someone sell them out? Sophie hadn't mentioned that but...no, Scarlett can't be thinking about something like that. Distrust isn't what she needed right now, she needed to be focused.

Finding Aria wasn't hard, Giorno and a man she didn't recognize had her cornered, the shirt ripped from her body. Scarlett was furious, her mind immediately assuming the worst of what they would do, but they seemed more interested in the markings on her back.

"Those are Mamoka's, aren't they?" Giorno knelt near Aria who flinched slightly. He didn't seem concerned about her at all, staring at the tattoos that had become more elaborate as Aria grew. The other man nodded his head. He was wearing a bandana wrapped around slicked-back black hair, and vertical scars over both of his eyes.

"I would recognize the captain's marks anywhere, although I don't know how one of his catches got all the way out to the west blue. Especially on a dump like Tetra Island." Giorno glanced back at this man, and Scarlett saw a fear in his eyes she had never seen. Whoever this Mamoka was, it seemed his crew member was no pushover. Almost as if reading her mind, the man glanced back right in Scarlett's direction and met her eyes. Instantly she felt her blood go cold.

"Giorno, looks like we have a visitor." The frightened man looked over and saw her as well, his fear turning to scorn.

"Scarlett, why didn't you tell me you had such a valuable little thing hidden away out here? A girl like this would fetch a pretty penny on the market-"

"You aren't selling her, I'll bring her right back to the captain." Giorno stiffened up as the other man spoke, his voice icy and calm.

"Yes sir, Justice, of course." So Justice was the man's name, or maybe it was an alias, Scarlett didn't care. She knew she couldn't win this fight, she just needed to get Aria and get to a boat. Hopefully, then they could escape.

"G-Giorno, how did you find her?" The cowering man chuckled, not afraid to show his fear of the man named Justice. Hopefully, it would show Scarlett that she didn't have a chance in hell.

"You shouldn't trust everyone you meet. Some kids are just yearning to get out of this situation and will do anything to do it. Even sell out their friends." Scarlett's heart sunk. Someone sold Aria out like she had suspected, for the promise of getting out of this hell. But why? They were going to escape tonight! Everything was going to be fine!

"That doesn't matter, we're still going to get out of here." Giorno snorted, not seeming to care very much.

"As if I care what you do at this point. At your age, you'd serve better as a whore for some sea captain than a s-" Giorno was caught off guard as Aria's shyness fell away, quickly replaced by anger as her older sister was compared to a prostitute. "Oh? The little girl trying to stand up for herself?" He let out a loud laugh, which faded off into the distance as Aria reared back and punched him in the stomach full force, causing him to fly off into the forest and even break a few trees in half. Aria breathed heavily, glancing up at Justice to dare him to try and fight her back. Instead, he seemed to look at her in a new way, a frightening grin coming to his face.

"So that's what you are...the captain will want to deal with this one himself." He laughs and steps aside, motioning back in the other direction. "You better run now. A hit like that won't kill Giorno, and he'll be back." Scarlett looks at him sceptically, not trusting him in the slightest but Aria breaks her out of it, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

After Aria discovered her strength, it was made apparent that her use of it severely tired her out. Scarlett ran over and caught her, dragging her back towards the beach. She hoped the younger girl's exhaustion would stop her from seeing the dead bodies, but Aria soon started muttering things about all the blood, her breath hitching as she saw some of the more familiar faces. Scarlett tried to cover Aria's eyes, but the younger girl pushed the hands away, almost as if she wanted to burn their faces into her mind. After a few tense moments of walking in silence, Aria tightened her grip on Scarlett's hands.

"I...I don't want anything like this to happen ever again. You always said that I didn't deserve to end up here, but neither did they. And now they're dead." She choked back a few tears, fervently shaking her head to drive them away. "Everyone deserves freedom." Despite the circumstances, Aria couldn't help but smile.

"You're right."

"I want to get stronger."

"You will Aria. You will. But for now, you just watch my back, I'll protect you." Aria nodded and the two kept walking, but as they got close to the shipyard Scarlett's heart stopped. Giorno may have been knocked out momentarily in the forest, but his crew was waiting right there. He had lied about not caring whether she escaped or not, not like she was surprised.

"Aria, you just stay right here. This will be over soon." She glanced at her sister, but the girl had slumped over and passed out, probably for the best in this case. She let her down to the ground softly and then turned to the group of men standing between her, and freedom. "Alright, which one of you bastards wants first go?"

* * *

Aria felt like the darkness was crushing her, it's how she felt every time she passed out from using her immense strength. She tried her best not to use it but, that man had said awful things to Scarlett...still, she hopes he's not dead. She doesn't want to kill anyone after all!

As she felt herself slip further into the darkness, the same dream made its way to the surface. She was a baby again, the same age she had been when she washed up on Tetra island, only now she was on a ship. She wasn't sure what kind of ship it was, no matter how many times she saw this dream everything seemed so foreign to her. As always, a woman with no face picked her up and ran her outside. It was raining, always raining, but Aria couldn't feel the water, she couldn't feel anything. The woman ran over to a similarly faceless man and seemed to be saying something, but it was all muffled like someone was covering her ears. The man and the woman seemed to be arguing about something, and after a moment of this, Aria was thrown into the ocean. Then, as always, she woke up.

The sudden motion nearly made her sick, and she realized she was on a boat, gently rocking back and forth. As her vision slowly became clear she saw the island they had called home burning in the distance. So they had got away, that was good, but where was Scar-.

When she looked down she couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips. Scarlett shot up at the sound of the scream, standing up with an angry expression she had never seen. Even in the shadow of the fire, Aria could see the blood, cuts, and bruises that covered Scarlett, but based on her quick reactions she seemed alright.

"S-Scarlett!" Her older sister looked down and instantly relaxed, seeing that Aria was okay.

"Good Lord, you scared me, Ari." Scarlett sat back down next to Aria, putting an arm around her as the two looked out to the burning island. "We did it. We escaped."

"Minus a few family members...and on a much smaller boat."

"Not like the two of us alone could have handled a huge ship like those on our own. Soph-" Scarlett stopped herself, letting out a shaky breath. Her calm demeanor was finally falling away as tears formed in her eyes. "The only thing I know how to do is fight. I can't cook, I can't sail, I barely even know how to talk to people properly! If I had been better, everyone would still be alive!" Aria wanted to stop her sister, calm her down, but she knew she needed it. For 8 years she's been putting on a strong front for everyone. She deserved to let it all fall away for a moment.

"You did what you could, no one is blaming you for anything Scar. You've survived this long, not knowing how to sail...well, it's just another challenge we'll have to get passed." Scarlett sniffed and nodded her head, reaching up to wipe her tears away. She stood up and faced towards the burning island. Aria just watched her for a moment before standing up next to her, taking Scarlett's hand in her own.

* * *

Scarlett fell back asleep soon after that, exhausted from the fighting of who knows how many people to keep the two of them safe. Aria just curled up as they floated further away from the island, the raging fire a tiny flame in the distance now. Aria wouldn't tell Scarlett this, but a lot of things were bothering her. The marks on her body had been a mystery for so long, and yet now she had encountered a terrifying man who seemed to know something about them. Mamoka's mark...what on Earth did that mean? Scarlett had told her about the pirate ship she saw as she went to burn down the forest, so she assumed Justice must have been the one who owned the ship. But he referred to this Mamoka as captain...so was he on the island? No, Justice had made it very clear that she would be brought back to Mamoka, something unnecessary if he had been on the island. He also referred to her as one of his "catches", does that have something to do with the dream she had? Were those people trying to get rid of her so Mamoka wouldn't come after then? It would make sense…

"Who knew my life would get this confusing so fast…" Aria sighed and laid back, looking up at the starry sky. "Well, that doesn't matter. What I said back there still stands...no one deserves to live their life like that. Wherever we go and whoever we meet, I won't let anything like this happen again."

* * *

**Phew! So like I said this chapter was kinda hard to write, as setting up the personalities for both Scarlett and Aria was a big challenge. Still, I tried to do my best to set up the story exactly how it needed to be at the beginning, and I hope you all enjoyed it! feel free to leave a review or even ask questions, I'll try to answer as many as I can. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 1 - World Infamy

**Second Chapter done! It didn't take me that long to do but I wasn't exactly sure exactly where to end this one. Any feedback on if you'd like shorter or longer chapters would be really appreciated seeing as this chapter is quite a bit shorter than the last one. Anyway, enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: World Infamy

Who knew sailing would be so hard? Neither of them knew much about the ocean or how to navigate, but they hadn't expected to nearly die so many times. Storms, sea animals, and worst of all...no food. That had been the biggest struggle, but they just managed to pull through as they docked at a small looking island. Scarlett couldn't help the flutters of her heart as she stared around at all the people walking around the port. She hadn't seen this many people in one place, it was magical...the only thing that broke her out of this trance was the slight groans from Aria next to her.

Scarlett looked to her right at her sister who had been passing out the past couple of days from the hunger. She knelt and placed a hand on Aria's arm.

"You stay here, I'll be back with some food as fast as I can." She placed a small kiss on Aria's blue hair and got up, dashing into town.

* * *

Aria couldn't even answer as Scarlett ran off, but she couldn't help cursing herself as she lay in the beaten up boat. They were in the same circumstances, and yet still Scarlett was the one that needed to act tough. It was frustrating, Scarlett deserved to relax, yet there she went to save Aria yet again.

She sat up as best she could and held her stomach, struggling to ignore the gnawing hunger. She watched as people walked by, eyeing her curiously, more than likely because of her blue hair. She tried to give small wave, but the sight of one of the locals whispering quickly to a man in a white uniform caught her eye. She knew when someone was frantic or scared, she had seen it a lot in the past 8 years, and before she knew it, a group of men in similar white uniforms were gathered around the boat. She squinted at their uniforms, just barely making out the word "Marines." Where had she heard that before?

"Excuse me miss, you're going to need to come with us." What? Oh, maybe they were here to help us. Surely she looked like hell considering their journey to this point. She gave them a small smile and reached her hand out to them, but oddly they seemed to flinch a bit. Like they were scared of her.

"H-help?" They were the only words that she could croak out, the strain ripping at her dry throat. A few of the men seemed to relax a bit, but the one in front that had spoken to her barked in a harsh voice.

"Don't be deceived men, this is one of Mamoka's crew members. No telling what she's capable of." Mamoka...oh, oh no this was bad.

"S-Scar…" Aria coughed heavily, unable to call out for her sister. The marines must have seen the desperation in her expression, because they were on her in an instant. They wrapped her in some type of special chains that she hadn't seen before and dragged her off into town. She couldn't struggle, couldn't scream, and the exhaustion finally got to her once again as she slipped into the darkness.

* * *

Not only had Scarlett not seen so many people in one place before, but she had never seen so much food! The small area they called a "market" had captivated her since she first stepped foot in it. She still didn't understand this concept of 'money' whatever that was, nor did she understand why an angry man was chasing her after she took some of the food he had. She chowed down on some of it while she ran to try and get her strength back, but she saved most of it for Aria. The poor girl was only thirteen, she needed the food.

The thought of food completely left her mind though, as she dropped it all at the sight of the empty boat. Surely Aria didn't get up and leave, she barely had the energy to speak! As she went to investigate, her ears twitched at the sound of a nearby conversation.

"-glad the marines took that pirate girl. What kind of idiot would sail to a marine base anyway? Serves her right."

Scarlett was on the man in an instant, slamming him against a wall with one hand, her other primed to smash his face in.

"The girl that was in the boat, with the blue hair, tell me what you know." She practically spat the words, angry not only at the person or people who took her, but at herself for leaving Aria alone. The man let out a frightened squeak, unable to pull away from Scarlett's iron grip.

"T-the marines took her!"

"Where?!" He yelped again, Scarlett's dark red eyes boring a hole in him.

"Center of town! That's where the base is! P-please let me go!" She studied him to see if he was lying before finally letting go.

"Dammit...of all things, why did it have to be marines?"

Scarlett remembered the word from when Sophie had been studying navigation. Marines, the law of the sea. As if. If they were so righteous, islands like Tetra wouldn't exist. She didn't have a high opinion of them for this reason, and now they took Aria! If they hurt her, someone was going to die.

* * *

Aria blinked her eyes open at the smell of food, her stomach audibly rumbling. God, she needed food. Though her thoughts were pulled away from food as she noticed her surroundings. She was in a cell, heavy iron cuffs wrapped around her wrists. Still, there was a large plate of food sitting in front of her, and thankfully there was enough slack in the chains for her to jet forward and eat as much as possible. Scarlett would be here for her soon enough, might as well get some food in her before they likely had to run from the island.

A small chuckle was all that could tear Aria away from the food, and she looked up to see a boy around Scarlett's age was standing on the other side of the bars watching her.

"I heard pirates were savages, but I didn't expect them to be so pathetic too." Aria stared at him for a second before swallowing.

"Pirate?" The boy seemed to waver a bit at Aria's clear ignorance, but seemed to switch back to normal quickly.

"Don't try to trick me, my captain told me those marks on your arms and back are from a pirate crew."

"Captain? So does that mean you're a pirate too?" The boy couldn't help but recoil at that statement. Aria just kept eating, not seeming very worried about her circumstances.

"Of course not, are you insane?! As if someone like me could be a worthless, evil pirate!"

"Carter, can you please stop teasing the poor girl?"

'Carter' looked to his right as a girl around his age walked into view. She was wearing a similar uniform to his, although her's was notably messy in comparison.

"This _poor girl _just compared me to a pirate Hinata, how disgusting is that!" Hinata ignored him, looking to Aria in the cage. Her expression instantly softened as she saw the state Aria was in.

"Oh my God...she's just a little kid. Captain Indra seriously thinks this girl is a pirate?" Was the girl worried about her? That was nice, although Aria wasn't that concerned.

"You're naive Hina, looks can be deceiving."

"So does that mean you're actually not an uptight headache in human form?" Carter scrunched up his nose at that.

"Very funny. Still, if the captain thinks she's suspicious then we should trust him."

"Yeah yeah...speaking of, you should go get him for the interrogation. I'll stay here." Carter nodded at that and jogged off, leaving Aria and the girl alone.

"You seem like friends." Aria took a bite of an apple, studying the marine girl. She was constantly shifting on her feet, playing with her raven black hair aimlessly.

"We've known each other since I was stationed here a few years ago. We're rivals, kinda." As she talked she pulled out a band and started to tie her hair into a bun on the side of her head.

"Kind of?" Hinata nodded, her eyes still wandering as she now started to play with the buttons on her shirt.

"Well, he's better than me at pretty much everything. So I guess we can't really be called rivals. I dunno, it doesn't really matter to me."

"Huh." Aria shrugged and went back to eating, although she soon looked back up as she felt Hinata's eyes on her.

"You really don't strike me as a pirate." She shrugged again, looking down at her food.

"I'm not. My sister and I are just a couple of runaway slaves that's all." Hinata jumped back a bit, grief flashing over her face.

"Slaves?"

Aria then went on to tell her story, the story of all the kids that had died so that she and Scarlett could make it to this island. So that they could follow Aria's selfish dream.

"Scarlett went into town to get us food when I was taken here. She's probably tearing up the town just looking for me." She let out a small laugh. "I'm a lucky person honestly."

"Lucky?!" Aria looked up, having stopped paying attention while telling her story. Hinata had tears in her eyes and was gripping the bars so hard her knuckles had turned white. "You went through that kind of hell and you call yourself lucky?"

"I mean...yeah! I got to meet an amazing person like Scarlett. Even if I ended up in such a terrible place, I'm not there anymore am I?" Hinata looked down and bit her lip, seeming to be thinking hard about something.

"S-So, you're saying that not everything is set in stone? Even if something sucks, it can always change for the better?" She looked up at Aria, the tears now streaming down her face.

"Of course. I mean, Scarlett was the one who taught me that destiny is crap. Plus, the reason I want to explore the world isn't for fun, or freedom." Aria shakes her head, standing up fully. "I don't want anyone to ever be shackled down like my family was. Never again." This final bit seemed to strike a chord with Hinata, as she shook the bars of the cage.

"Your sister, what does she look like?" Aria raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, she's around your age. Long brown hair, dark red eyes...probably really pissed off. You can't miss her, why?"

"I'll be back!" Hinata dashes off, leaving Aria all on her own.

"Okay?" She sits down again, eating what's left of her food. "That was odd."

* * *

If Scarlett was at full strength, she would have torn her way right to her sister, but she wasn't. She needed to be smart right now. But smart was slow, and she needed to be quick as well.

"Dammit!" She made a few people jump as she slammed her fist into the wall, frustration creeping up on her. She promised to take care of her, now look what happened.

"Um, hello? Are you Scarlett?" The soft and quick voice made Scarlett immediately snap out of her funk. She spun around to see a girl a few inches shorter than her nervously pressing her index fingers together. Although Scarlett's anger flared back up as she noticed the girl was wearing a (very messy) marine uniform.

"You, where is my sister?!" Hinata couldn't even react as Scarlett grabbed her by the front of her outfit and threw her towards the grassy area the two were next to. "You've been the first marine stupid enough to approach me. I'm gonna blow off some steam," Scarlett cracked her wrists, "and then you're gonna talk."

"W-wait!" Hinata coughed and scrambled to her feet, holding her arms up in surrender. "I need to talk to you!"

"And you will. But for now, you shut up and stand still." Scarlett approached Hinata, her fists up and ready to batter the unkempt marine.

"Dammit...I guess there's no helping it." Hinata lowered her arms a bit, switching into an odd looking fighting stance. "I'll just have to calm you down."

Scarlett couldn't help letting out a laugh. This weak looking chick was gonna actually try to fight her? Pathetic.

She stepped forward quickly, throwing a punch aimed right at Hinata's face.

"_Soru._" Hinata seemed to disappear for a moment, but before Scarlett could react, her fist connected with Hinata's face. "Ow!" Hinata stumbled back, landing on her butt. She wiped the blood away from her nose and stood up. "That didn't count!"

"What the hell was that?" Scarlett was a bit hesitant to attack again. She may have hit her, but this girl had done something...odd.

"J-just hold on! I can get this right!" Hinata mumbled to herself a bit and got back into her fighting stance. Scarlett studied her for a second before approaching again, the unease shedding away. She stopped short and shot her left foot straight up, aiming to catch her opponent in the chin.

"_Kamie._" Hinata adjusted herself just slightly, causing Scarlett's foot to only graze the side of her face. Despite actually managing to dodge, Hinata backpedalled and hit herself on the forehead a few times. "No no no! Wrong again!"

What...the hell. That was twice this girl had done something that Scarlett couldn't wrap her mind around. Even if she had apparently messed them up, it had firmly shaken Scarlett.

"Alright alright, let's try attacking." Hinata gathered herself and then ran right at Scarlett. This seemed simple enough, so Scarlett got ready to dodge. "_Geppo!_" And then, the girl stepped on the air. Scarlett watched in awe as her opponent seemed to jump off of thin air, landing behind her. But instead of following up, Hinata seemed just as surprised as Scarlett. "I-I did it! I actually did the-" She was cut off as Scarlett whipped around and caught her in the side of the head with her heel. Hinata tumbled to the side again, but Scarlett felt her heel throb with pain.

"Man, she has a hard head." She shook her foot loose, but Hinata surprisingly got to her feet slowly, despite being kicked right in the temple.

"That was close, I almost didn't get _Tekkai _off in time. Still, it wasn't really correct. I really gotta train more…" Scarlett couldn't help staring on in slight fear. Soru, Kamie, Geppo, and Tekkai. What the hell was going on?!

"What are you?!" Hinata jumped a bit at the sudden outburst.

"U-uh...oh! If I tell you, will you listen to what I have to say? It has to do with Aria." Aria? So she did know something about her. Sue could learn what happened, and get an insight into the weird techniques of the open ocean.

"If you know something, then talk fast." Hinata let out an exasperated sigh.

"Finally! Listen, I have a plan to break your sister out."

* * *

**So yeah like I said any feedback would be hella appreciated. I'm moving off to college this next Monday, so chapters might come a bit slower than the first two. Still, I'll try my best. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 2 - The Third

**Wow, wrote the third chapter a bit faster than I had expected. I don't really have much to say, just a big thank you to everyone that's read so far! Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Third

Aria was pretty bored. Hinata had been gone for around half an hour after leaving in a confusing manner and she still wasn't back. She had finished her food a while ago and was now pacing around the cell, just waiting for Scarlett to break her out. But instead of her sister, Hinata quietly makes her way back in front of the cell.

"You're back!" Aria hurried over to the bars of the cage, grabbing them tightly. "Where did you go? You've been gone for a long time, did you find Scarlett?" But instead of the cheerful expression she had earlier, Hinata shot her a glare.

"Don't you speak to me." Aria took a slight step back. Did something happen with Scarlett? Aria wanted to ask a million different questions, but she fell silent as Carter walked back into view, along with a tall and burly looking man. Aria's eyes were drawn to a massive scar on the man's throat. She cringed slightly, looking away towards the floor.

"Let me introduce to you the captain of this marine base, Captain Indra." Carter stood at attention, clearly having a lot of respect for this man.

"Nice to meet you.." Indra let out a gruff laugh, staring down at Aria in a way that sent chills down her spine.

"Never heard someone refer to being detained as nice. At least your manners are intact for a pirate."

"I'm not a pirate sir." Aria tried to swallow her fear and meet his eyes, but his intense gaze made her eyes shoot back down to the ground.

"You may not be, but that doesn't exactly make you innocent." Indra grabbed a chair and sat down in front of the cell, crossing his arms across his large chest. Even while sitting, his eyes were still level with her. "Those marks on your back, do you know what they are?" Aria shook her head slightly.

"I-I've heard the name Mamoka thrown around but I'm not sure who he is." While Aria was truly unsure as to who Mamoka was, the mention of the name seemed to throw both Hinata and Carter for a loop.

"Mamoka?! What kind of people are you hanging out with that throw around the name of an emperor like that?!" Carter looked at Indra, expecting his captain to be equally shocked, but he showed no hint of it.

"Emperor? Like, the king of something?" Carter went silent, completely blown away by her ignorance. Hinata on the other hand recovered quickly.

"I can't tell if you're really this sheltered or just a good liar. Mamoka is one of the Yonkou, the four emperors of the sea. They practically rule the New World. He's not someone many people would want to be associated with unless they were under his flag." Emperor of the sea...sounds like this guy's a big deal.

"By your tones, I can tell you two don't know much more than this girl does." Both of the younger marines looked at Indra as he leaned forward. "Show me your arms." Aria swallowed hard and held out her arms, flipping them over so he could see the marks. "Hinata, Carter, look closely. These marks are a symbol of someone affiliated with Mamoka and his crew. It doesn't mean she's a pirate per se, but you can never be too careful. People like this girl aren't exactly rare, but they rarely show up this far away from the Grand Line." The two of them leaned forward as well to study the marks, but they were surprised when Aria started doing the same thing.

"So...I'm in some way connected to this Mamoka person? Huh, honestly at this point I wouldn't have thought I would ever learn about my past." Carter looked up to her eyes.

"Are you trying to convince us that you have amnesia? That's the oldest trick in the book!" Aria looked up to meet Carter's eyes, the fear from earlier completely gone now. Aria had another goal, she needed to find this man. Nothing would stop her.

"Believe what you want, as long as I know what's true and what's not, that's all that matters." Carter hesitated a bit, and Aria saw a hint of a smile flash on Hinata's face. Or maybe it was just her imagination, the girl in front of her seemed completely different from the one that cried after hearing her story.

"No, what matters is that you have those marks on your body." Aria looked to Indra, who was still eyeing the marks to memorize them line for line. "Whether you remember anything or not, whether you're a pirate or not, none of that matters. Mamoka isn't keen on letting those marked by him to run free, so if we keep you here, he'll have to come running." A hostage. Aria couldn't help the anger flaring up in her body. She hadn't told Scarlett this yet, but when Justice and Giorno had been holding her in the forest, is was for the sole purpose of luring Scarlett out. She had been just as helpless in that situation as she was right now, and she wouldn't stand for it. She lurched forward and grabbed the bars, applying pressure to try and bend the bars so she could get out. But before she could get started, another marine ran into the room.

"Captain Indra sir, a young woman has started assaulting the base." Indra finally pulled his eyes away from Aria's marks to look at the marine.

"Are the lot of you not able to deal with one girl?" The marine swallowed and shifted back and forth.

"W-well sir, she's already knocked out the entirety of our outside guards." Indra raised an eyebrow.

"Knocked out, not killed?" The man nodded quickly and Indra sighed, standing up. "Hinata, Carter, you stay here with the girl. I'll deal with this myself." The two saluted him as he ran off with the other marine. Carter took a step towards Aria.

"You may have the captain confused, but I know that you're a worthless dirty pirate. And I won't ever let someone like you get aw-" He was cut off suddenly as Hinata hit him in the back of the neck, catching him as he fell to the floor.

"Sorry Carter, I was hoping the captain would take you with him." She gently set him down on the ground before seeming to relax, her strong guise falling away. "Geez, that was tiring. Sorry for acting so cold towards you!"

"Wait, what's going on? That girl outside is Scarlett right?" Hinata nodded quickly, taking a set of keys out of her pocket.

"Yup, I met up with your sister in town while I was gone. She sorta kicked my butt, but I was able to convince her that I was on your side."

* * *

"_Break Aria out, but why would you want to do that, you're a marine right?" Hinata rubbed her temple, the pain still throbbing through her body._

"_She told me your story...and it resonated with me. My father is the head of a secret branch of the world government, but when I didn't fit the bill to join he shipped me off to this dump. I never wanted to be a marine, but I did want to help people! The thing is, the marines aren't as good as everyone thinks they are. Some are don't get me wrong, but most of them are just as evil as the pirates they hunt. Aria said she wanted to help people...make people free. I want to do that too, even if it means betraying the marines."_

* * *

"Your words spoke to me, and I want to help in any way that I can. A-and I won't be useless either! I may not be the strongest person in the world but I can fight, and I'm a pretty decent navigator! Please, Aria." Hinata unlocked the cage and stepped inside. "Let me go with you." Aria couldn't help the big smile that spread across her face. She had met someone else who shared her dream, how could she say no?

"If you don't mind sailing with us, then I would love for you to come. Besides, we could really use a navigator." Hinata literally leapt into the air with joy before crouching down to unlock the chains around Aria's ankles.

"Thank goodness! I was really worried you wouldn't trust me since I was a marine." Aria shook her ankles a bit, happy to feel the iron cuffs finally off.

"As I said before, you didn't choose to be in this life, but now you are choosing. And that's what matters. Now then, take me to my sister."

* * *

The plan had been simple. Scarlett would cause a big uproar in the main courtyard of the base while Hinata broke Aria out. Then, the three of them would steal a boat and leave. What Hinata _hadn't _told Scarlett was that there would be a monster here.

"I can see how you were able to beat my subordinates, but that level of power won't get you very far." Captain Indra stood over Scarlett who was bleeding from the head. She still wasn't entirely sure what had even happened. This huge man had appeared and hit her with something she didn't even see coming.

"S...shut up." She shot a kick aimed at his gut, but as it connected she felt as if she had kicked a plate of steel, and the pain reverberated back up through her body. "OW! Dammit…" The man stared down at her in displeasure.

"You should be able to tell when you're outmatched. Throwing away your life like this is just idiotic." Scarlett was about to reply, when she caught a hint of movement behind Indra that made her smile.

"Thankfully, I wasn't trying to beat you." Indra raised an eyebrow as the familiar sight of Hinata jumped up behind him.

"Sorry!" She called out as she spun and kicked him in the side of the head, staggering him enough for the two of them to run passed.

"Scarlett!" Aria ran over and helped her older sister up, hugging her tightly as they were finally reunited.

"Nice kick Hinata." The girl blushed a bit, practically glowing at the praise. Scarlett hugged Aria back before moving in front of both of them. "But that wasn't enough to put him away." Indra groaned slightly and stood back up, his glare murderous as he stared at Hinata.

"I figured you were smarter than this Hinata. You know your father won't let this slide." Hinata cowered back a bit but shook her head.

"I don't care what he says, this is what I want to do! Not what he's trying to force on me. I truly thank you for taking care of me over these years and teaching me the Rokushiki, but I have to say goodbye."

"And you think I'll just let you leave? I was taking it easy so far, but now I see more force will be necessary." Scarlett stifled the frightened look she had wanted to show. Holding back? He had been kicking her up and down the street so far, what the hell else could he have to show? Could he use the same techniques Hinata could?

"Scarlett, Aria, we need to get out of here. We can't fight against a devil fruit."

"A what?" Both of the girls asked at the same time, but soon their question was answered as a white looking armor tore its way through Indra's skin on his right arm, melting and twisting to turn into a sword more than twice the length of his arm. He pointed the blade now covering his arm at the three girls.

"I take it you two haven't ever heard of a devil fruit. I'll save the explanation for later, but Indra can use the powers of the exo exo fruit to manipulate an exoskeleton that he can create."

"What the hell." Scarlett took another step back. "New plan. Run." The three of them turned and sprinted back towards the harbor with Indra in hot pursuit. Hinata was the first one to realize the problem though.

"Even if we get back to the boats he'll just catch up with us!" The three were silent for a second as they thought, but it was Aria who came up with an idea."

"Scarlett, I can slow him down. Just get ready to pick me up." Scarlett picked up on the plan right away, nodding. Aria screeched to a halt and grabbed one of the street lamps. "This is gonna suck." She grit her teeth and ripped the lamp out of the ground, turning towards Indra who faltered for just a second as he saw such a small girl lifting the huge lamp.

"What the...oh sh-"

"Too late!" Aria threw the lamp like a dart right at Indra, and while he managed to create another set of armor to protect against the blow, it still sent him flying back towards the base. Aria stumbled a bit but fell into the arms of her sister. Hinata, on the other hand, wasn't so calm.

"What was that?!" Her shock turned to concern as she noticed that Aria was fading fast.

"We'll explain later." Scarlett hoisted Aria up onto her back, starting to run again. "C'mon! I'm sure that blow won't keep him back for too long!" Hinata snapped out of it quick, turning and running along with Scarlett.

* * *

By the time Indra finally caught up to them they were already a decent way off into the sea, and with Hinata's navigational skills it would be very difficult to even catch up with them.

"Dammit!" Indra slammed an exo covered foot into the ground, cracking it slightly. Not only had he lost his only led to the man who had nearly killed him all those years ago, but he had lost Hinata as well. Darius would definitely be on his ass about that in the future. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small transponder snail.

"Get me headquarters on the line now. I need a bounty written up. I've found another Marked for Death."

* * *

After Aria woke up the three girls had a small celebration on the boat to welcome their new crew member.

"So Scarlett is the captain, I'm the first mate, and Hinata is our navigator! We actually have a small crew on our hands!"

"But the two of you said you aren't pirates right? That's going to make things complicated…" Hinata had her legs hanging off of the boat, her feet in the warm water of the West Blue.

"Why do you say that?" Scarlett was laying down, her eyes closed as she listened to the conversation.

"Well, I did sorta break a prisoner out of a marine base, you attacked multiple marine officers, and Aria is not only linked to one of the Yonkou, but she threw a street lamp at a captain. Even if you don't call yourselves pirates, the three of us will be labelled as pirates." Scarlett shrugged.

"That doesn't really matter. No matter who tries to get in our way, whether they're marines or pirates we planned to take them down. Probably better it happened now rather than later."

"Still, it's going to make our efforts much more difficult. Especially if we end up with a bounty." As if on cue, Hinata spotted a news seagull and signalled for it. Scarlett opened one eye as she saw the bird flying down.

"What's that?" Hinata pulled a small coin out of her purse that she had brought with her and handed it to the bird.

"These birds fly around the world and let you pay for newspapers. It's the perfect way to keep up with what's going on in the outside world while out at sea." She opened the newspaper and began reading, but Aria leaned forward and pulled a section of it away.

"Oh hey, I'm in the paper." Scarlett sat up immediately and Hinata froze. "This font is hard to read...Wanted?" Scarlett snatched the paper away. "Hey! I was reading that!" Scarlett didn't answer though, her hands shaking as she looked at the wanted poster. It showed Aria as they were running away, her face in full view as well as the marks on her back and part of her right arm. At the top it said Wanted, and underneath were the words that scared Scarlett to her bones.

_Marked for Death_

_Only Dead_

_50,000,000_

* * *

**Ooo, cliffhanger. And yes, I know it says only dead despite Indra wanting Aria alive, and that will be explained in the future. So I actually want to hear your opinions on Hinata and her character. She's sort of the catalyst to help explain a lot of things to Scarlett and Aria, as well as being their scatterbrained navigator. I'll try to flesh out more things with her as we go on, and we will definitely explore into things with her Dad in the future. Until then, hope you guys enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 3 - Ninja

**Chapter 3! (or 4 if you wanna get serious about things) Now that we actually have a small crew as well as a bounty, we can actually start getting into more involved stories! And more fights, although my choreography could probably use some work. The Hinata and Scarlett fight was a bit short, so as we move forward we'll really see what I can do. Anyway, here we go, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Ninja

"There's a nice island nearby that should be good for restocking our supplies and maybe finding a bigger boat." Hinata adjusted her bun, but it didn't seem to get any less tangled. "If you're wanting to find Mamoka, then you'll need a better ship to get into the Grand Line."

"Is it really that big of a deal? I mean sure we had some problems sailing to that marine base but we still survived." Hinata shot Scarlett a look, but it softened when she remembered where they came from.

"The Grand Line is a hundred times worse than the West blue. It can change from a sunny day to a squall in a matter of minutes. If your navigator isn't at least halfway competent, which thankfully I am, you'll die in a matter of days." Aria smiled wide, sitting up from where she had been watching fish in the water.

"It really is lucky that we found you Hina!" Scarlett raised an eyebrow, glancing at Aria.

"Hina?"

"Uh-huh! Hinata told me to call her that now that we're friends!"

"Are you and me not friends Hinata?" The navigator looked up from her map, shaking her head quickly.

"It's not that, but Aria said you're the captain. I felt it would be rude…" Scarlett frowned slightly, but stopped as Aria jumped up in the boat.

"I see an island!" The other girls looked up to see the faint outline of a rather large looking island in the distance. Hinata looked back down to her map and smiled.

"Yup, that's it. Dorobo island. We don't really have a lot of money, so, for now, we're probably going to have to steal the things we need." Aria wasn't listening, just staring in wonder at the approaching land.

"That won't be a problem, we're criminals already." Scarlett glanced at the wanted poster they had kept, her face showing worry as she eyed the 'only dead' part of the paper. "We can't get in any more trouble than we already are."

"True enough. On that note, it's probably best we get the two of you some new clothes. Covering up those marks on Aria's body is important to make sure we don't draw unnecessary attention." Scarlett understood what Hinata meant, so far those markings had gotten them into serious trouble both on Tetra island, and at the marine base.

The part of the island they docked at was really nice, with tall stone buildings jutting up into the air, causing the streets to be cast in a dark shadow. Lamps dotted the streets to light them up, and the environment seemed really fun and lively.

"This is amazing!" Aria hopped out of the boat before they had even finished tying it up, spinning around as she took everything in. Hinata climbed out as well, slipping off her marine jacket and draping it around Aria's shoulders.

"Let's hurry and go get those clothes, then we can start looking around."

* * *

Aria had never been given new clothes in her life, and least not any that were hers and hers alone. She stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the blue button-up jacket she had bought, happy to have her marks finally covered up. It felt nice to not worry about anyone seeing them, especially now that she knew what they meant. Hinata had ditched her marine clothes for a zip-up jacket and a short skirt, and Scarlett had gotten a sleeveless shirt and black shorts, as well as a pair of gloves to protect her hands while fighting.

Then they travelled deeper into the town and the buildings started climbing higher and higher, and the three made their way into a restaurant to stop and eat.

"This place is amazing Hinata!" Aria drew eyes as she hastily ate the food put in front of them, not thinking much about the people around her.

"Well, it definitely looks that way…" Hinata trailed off, looking around at the people who were staring. They were all wearing rather nice clothes, and the restaurant wasn't what you would call cheap looking. Scarlett picked up on Hinta's tone, sending an interested look her way.

"The way you said that, does that mean there's more to the island than just the way it looks?" Scarlett clearly said that a bit too loud, as some of the occupants of the restaurant shifted uncomfortably in their chairs.

"Well…" Hinata lowered her voice, leaning in a bit. "Reports are that this island is host to an immense criminal underworld. People driven to poverty by the class struggles on this island to the point that they formed a community of thieves." Aria suddenly stopped eating, and her fist clenched around her fork to the point that it snapped in half. Scarlett jumped and looked over at Aria.

"Ari! Is something wrong?" Aria didn't look at Scarlett, instead now staring out at the people around them.

"So you're telling me these people sit in places like this, eating this wonderful food, all while people are starving?" Realization dawned on Scarlett's face and she looked at Hinata, who had realized the same thing. "Buying fancy clothes, living in these amazing houses...and their are people suffering in the background?"

"Aria." Scarlett placed a hand on her sister's, making Aria rip her gaze away to look at her. "I get what you're saying, but we don't know the full circumstances of what's going on here. Acting suddenly won't fix anything, it might just make it worse."

"But I made a promise! I can't just sit by while something like this is happening!"

"Aria-"

"If you won't help me then forget it!" Aria stood up, her chair falling backwards. "Just get the stuff we need to leave, I'm going for a walk." Before the others could argue, Aria ran out of the restaurant and further into the town. She understood what they meant, the reports might have been exaggerated, so she had to see for herself what was going on. If she had been paying a bit more attention, she might have noticed the boy shadowing her as she ran through town, looking for any signs of the misdeeds happening here.

It didn't take her long to notice a group of dirty looking kids trying to steal some food from a fruit cart. When the owner noticed he reacted in a violent way, pulling out what looked to be a metal rod and aiming to attack the kids before they noticed him.

"Don't you dare." Aria rushed forward and grabbed the rod from the man's hand.

"H-hey!" The shop owner jumped as the rod was snatched away, causing enough distraction for the kids to get away. "Look what you did! Those rats got away with my food!" Aria stepped forward, her grip on the metal bar growing tighter.

"They were hungry."

"If you don't have money, you don't get food, that's how the world works girly." Despite his harsh tone, he was scared of this girl. She took another step forward, her teeth grit together.

"You seem to have plenty of food, especially with a physique like that." She gestured to the man's larger than normal stomach, and his fear fell away. "They need it more than you do."

"Like I give a damn. Maybe if they wanted to eat, their parents should have worked harder so they didn't end up in the streets. Or maybe their parents are dead, good riddance. Less filth on these streets."

That was the last straw, but before Aria could send this man into next week a figure seemed to appear out of thin air and crush something in his hand, causing an explosion of smoke. Aria coughed as she tried to see through the smoke, but someone grabbed her hand and dragged her away. She had expected it to be the shopkeeper, but was surprised to see a boy about Scarlett's age wearing all black pulling her away. He had a giddy smile on his face as he pulled her along.

"That was so awesome! Thanks for keeping that guy off my friends, I was a bit slow to react." That made Aria stop fighting his grip.

"Your friends?" The boy looked back at Aria, his dark brown eyes full of excitement.

"Yeah! Let me take you to my place and I can explain, you seem like a good kid." Aria huffed, jogging so he didn't have to pull her any more.

"I'm thirteen."

* * *

The place they finally arrived at made Aria's heart break into pieces. On the edge of town was a particularly nasty part of the ocean filled with pollution, and a pipe that led into the part of the sewer the boy and his friends lived in. Trash was littered everywhere, and the sheer amount of young kids who looked like they hadn't eaten in days reminded her all too well of Tetra island. It wasn't just any people that were in poverty, it was nearly all children! It made her sick.

The boy quickly let go of Aria and ran around to check on everybody before finally coming back to her. His gleeful smile had faded away, replaced by the grim look she would expect someone to have in these kinds of circumstances.

"Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, I'm Kalin." He held out his hand, forcing another smile to try and be polite.

"Aria." She shook his hand, looking around at the children again. "How long has it been this way?"

"Longer than I've been here. I landed on this island when I was twelve, and I've been here ever since. It's not just kids either, there are a few adults that try to help us however they can. The kids are _supposed _to stay here and wait for us to bring food back, but Troy and Maki like to make trouble." He shot a look at the kids who aria had protected, but they didn't seem very bothered as they ate the apples they had taken. Kalin sighed and turned back to her. "I overheard your discussion in that restaurant and decided to follow you. Seems you weren't just saying those things to be nice."

"The concept of freedom is really important to me. My sister was a slave after all." Kalin frowned.

"Well, sadly it's not going to be stopping any time soon. Any sort of action against the royalty here would be bad for the kids. They would be punished if we tried to rise up." Aria looked around the room once again, her heart yearning to help these people.

"Well, what if you didn't have to. What if some pirates did it for you?"

"Pirates? Wait...are you-" Aria smiled.

"But we'll need your help, just attacking randomly won't get us very far." Kalin pulled at his hair, really thinking over what she was saying.

"Maybe...but we would need to prepare, and I'd like to meet up with your friends if possible. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Oh don't worry, they can fight."

* * *

Aria wasn't lying. That much was obvious when Kalin saw a rather beautiful girl holding the beaten body of the shop owner that had tried to attack the kids and Aria. He whistled, impressed by the sight.

"Cute and kicks ass, nice." Scarlett turned her head and saw Aria, dropping him and running over to hug her.

"Oh thank goodness! I heard him talking about you and I was worried something happened again. Don't run off like that!"

"Forget about that Scarlett, Hinata was right! This island is absolutely awful!" Scarlett raised an eyebrow and looked up to Kalin, her eyes immediately distrustful.

"You better not be taking advantage of my sister." Kalin held his hands up.

"Whoa! Don't just go accusing people like that, if you want me to prove it I can show you the slums like I showed her."

"He's not lying Scarlett, I saw everything. We have to help them."

"Aria-"

"I promised Scarlett. That day I promised I would help people who needed it, no matter what. I'm not abandoning those kids." Scarlett bit her lip, finally relenting.

"Alright fine, I'll go find Hinata. Where should I meet you." Kalin started to jump around excitedly.

"There's a small pub down near the docks, our contact is there. Just come in whenever you find this Hinata girl and we can make a game plan. C'mon Aria." Kalin grabbed her by the hand again, dragging her off towards the pub.

"We'll meet you there Scarlett!" She turned and ran with Kalin, a determined look on her face. This was her first chance to help someone for real, she wouldn't mess this up.

* * *

This pub was Kalin's favorite place in the whole town. Thankfully he looked normal enough to not be noticed as one of the underworlds thieves, and the pub owner was his closest friend on the island.

"Lloyd!" Kalin busted into the pub, Aria in tow. The barkeep turned and gave a big smile as he saw Kalin, though it fell away when he saw Aria.

"Another one?"

"No no!" Kalin sat Aria down at the counter, and Kalin hopped up next to her. "This is Aria, she's a pirate." Lloyd looked at Aria again, and his eyes seemed to flash with recognition for a second, but it went away fast. "She's here to help us take down the nobles." Lloyd looked back at Kalin.

"Seriously? This little girl is a pirate?" Aria puffed up her cheeks.

"If you're worried about me getting hurt, don't. I'm not much of a fighter anyway, but my crewmates will be plenty enough on their own." Lloyd looked her over again and shrugged.

"Well we appreciate that, but this is our business. Kalin may trust you, but I don't think you can fully grasp what's going on here."

"Hey Lloyd, don't be rude!" Kalin put his hands on the counter, raising himself up so he was standing in the chair. "If she wants to help then let her." The two stared each other down for a moment before Lloyd finally spoke.

"Kalin, how about you tell her your entire story. After that, I'll judge whether or not she can actually help us." That seemed to silence Kalin, and he sat back down.

"I-if it's really that bad then you don't have to tell me!"

"If he doesn't, then that means he doesn't trust you fully. And that tells me that you can't help us, and more specifically him." Aria started to say something, but decided against it, instead looking at Kalin. He stared down at the counter for a few more seconds and took a shaky breath.

"You want me to tell her? Fine. Let me fully reveal the darkness of this island."

* * *

**Yeah...another cliffhanger. I'm sorry, but honestly ending the chapter after Kalin's backstory would be awkward, and if I kept going after his story then the chapter would be wayyyyy too long. I had a lot of trouble starting this chapter, but I think now I'm in a groove. Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 4 - My Name is Kalin

**Chapter 4! Sorta setting up the main story of this island, giving some insight into Kalin's character and his goals. I'm really excited to get into this arc, and I hope you guys are as well!**

* * *

Chapter 4: My name is Kalin

Kalin had been on that boat for longer than he could even comprehend. He had been smart enough to bring plenty of food, but it gets harder and harder to ration things out the hungrier you get. Some ninja he was. Blegh, even that word put a bad taste in his mouth. Still, stealth was all he was good at, and even then his clumsiness stole that advantage away from him more often than not.

That's how his boat had turned into a plank of wood that he had been holding onto for the last days. Recounting the events that got him to that point was a bit too embarrassing, and Kalin preferred to live in the present. Still, you would think by now he would have seen at least _one _island to stop at. No luck yet though, and he was afraid that his fingers and toes would be shrivelled up forever.

"This blows." Kalin sighed and adjusted himself on the tiny strip of wood. Thankfully he was so small, any bigger and the plank might not have been enough, he had never thanked his small stature until this point. Kalin reached into his pocket to retrieve his only keepsake from home, his knife, and started to give himself a haircut. It had fallen passed his shoulders and started to obscure his eyes. A nin...a person who uses stealth needed to be able to see. Maybe he should tie it back? Although he didn't have any twine, then again…

Kalin's train of thought was cut off as he bumped into something. He had been so focused on his inner monologue that he hadn't noticed the huge island looming behind him. But it wasn't the island he had bumped into, instead, it was a huge pile of trash collecting near the shore. The sight made him frown as he placed his knife away, hopping off of the last piece of his boat to the trash, jumping onto each piece before finally landing on the beach.

"Geez, haven't these people heard of clean living? Unless they have some seriously nice farms, there aren't gonna be any fish around to catch. Well, whatever, let's see if I can snag some food." Kalin wrung the water out of his hair and made his way into town, ignoring any odd looks he got as he searched around for food. Stealing small bits from the various food carts was easy enough, but it wasn't filling him up near fast enough. Then, his nose picked up the smell of something really nice, leading him to some sort of wooden building near the docks of the town.

"They didn't have anything like this back home...feels much more real this way." He pushed open the wooden doors and walked inside as casually as he could, but even then a soaked kid in torn up clothes that looked half-starved would stand out anywhere. Stealth wasn't going to work in such a cramped environment, might as well try to be polite. He climbed up onto a stool in front of the bar and tapped his knuckles on the counter.

"Yo, can I have some food?" Kalin's manners weren't the best. Despite this, the man running the place set a plate of food out for Kalin. The tattered boy didn't even think twice about it, digging into the food immediately. The bartender waited until Kalin had cleared the plate before leaning forward.

"So, do you have the money to pay for that?" Kalin licked the food off of his fingers, not even bothering to look at the man.

"Nope." With that, Kalin flipped backwards out of his chair and went running, but was surprised when he felt his hair get grabbed, holding him back. "Dammit, I should've finished cutting it." He pulled his knife back up and sliced the part of his hair that was being held off, running out of the bar. "That was close." He let out a sigh of relief, and then his arm was grabbed by the same man from the bar. "Wh- how did you-"

"Are you an idiot?!" The man slammed his fist down on Kalin's head, making his vision blurry. He stumbled a bit and fell down, trying to shake the pain away. "Did the others not tell you how you're supposed to act?!"

"Others? What are you talking about?" Kalin looked up at the man, trying to get his vision to clear up. He noticed his expression had gone from angry to genuinely concerned in a matter of seconds.

"Are you...not from the slums?" Kalin slowly shook his head.

"I just landed here about thirty minutes ago. What do you mean by slums?"

"Oh, you poor kid...you couldn't have landed in a worse place. Come on, I'll take you there." Kalin was hesitant to take his hand, especially after he had just put a sizable lump on his head. The man just laughed. "Seriously it's okay, my name is Lloyd."

"Lloyd huh?" Kalin rubbed his head again and finally stood up on his own. "I'm Ha…" Kalin paused, "I don't have a name"

"Still wary of me? Fair enough."

"No it's not that...it doesn't matter, it's the past." Lloyd looked him over once again and nodded, leading Kalin to his new home.

* * *

What he saw broke his heart. Ninety percent of the people he saw in the slums were children, and while there were _some _adults, they mostly seemed to only worry about themselves. In fact, everyone seemed to be so distant from each other. Fights were breaking out between children for scraps of food, and adults would push their way in and steal whatever was left.

"What...the hell…"

"Sad, isn't it? This section of the city was separated from the rest a few years ago. Food supplies were dwindling, so they decided to cut off this side of the island and just let them fend for themselves. Some of them venture in to town to try and steal food, that's why I thought you were from here." Lloyd sighed, watching the horrible site. The buildings on this side of town were falling apart, ruins making for shelters. Kalin couldn't help but clench his fists...this wasn't the first time he had seen something like this.

"How can they just treat human lives like this?!" He hadn't meant to shout out so loud, instantly covering his mouth as his voice echoed around. Lloyd just nodded, placing a hand on Kalin's shoulders.

"You're right, it's wrong. You seem competent enough, I want you to help me." Kalin looked up at him, confused as to what he meant. "I try my best to bring food to them to help, but it's not easy to transport it without people seeing me."

"Are you trying to recruit me?"

"Are you turning me down?" Kalin looked back out to the scene in front of him.

"Where do I start?"

* * *

Soon enough, Kalin was a myth throughout the island. A shadow that stole away huge amounts of food, suddenly appearing in the darker parts of the island. Rumors floated around, and some locals began to fear that this shadow would begin to steal more than just food. Almost like a curse set upon them for what they had done, but the king clearly didn't share the sentiment

"This 'shadow' is nothing but a bunch of nonsense!" The king snorted and kicked his feet up onto the podium he was speaking from. On each of his sides were his advisers and muscle. Penny, an ace hand with a sword, and Xander, a deceivingly strong man. "All that's happening is that scum from the slums are stealing from right under your noses! Are you all so incompetent that you can't even notice rats getting away with your food?" A few of the citizens grumbled, not because they disagreed, but because they were disgusted that he was probably right. "But don't worry, I have a plan to end this insubordination." The king laughed and stood up. "All of you just stay in your homes tonight. The poison on our island will be gone before the sun comes up."

Kalin scowled from his vantage point on the rooftops. He hadn't even been here a year and already they were planning something. He wouldn't be able to stop it himself, he would need Lloyd's help.

He hopped off the roof and made his way back towards the pub, but started to slow down as he spotted Lloyd heading off towards the slums. Good, he must have heard the speech as well, that would make things easier.

"Lloyd!" Kalin jumped between the buildings, landing down in front of his teacher.

"Shadow."

"Don't call me that."

"Aw don't be that way, you still haven't told me your name."

"I said I don't have a name." He reached back to adjust his short ponytail, his hair had grown down to his shoulders once again.

"Yeah yeah, since you're here I'm assuming you heard that speech." Kalin nodded, starting to walk towards the slums with Lloyd in tow.

"Do you have any idea what he could be planning?"

"No clue. I've been focused on taking care of my son recently." Kalin softened, looking back at Lloyd.

"Is he healthy?" Lloyd gave a big smile, nodding quickly.

"Yup! Six months pass like the wind when you're as busy as me. Teaching you, running the pub, raising Jack...my life is awesome." Kalin chuckled, looking forward.

"I should be the one saying that…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing, let's just hurry."

They got to the slums long before the sun went down, and Lloyd went around warning all of the inhabitants to be careful. Kalin stayed in the shadows, preferring to be an invisible savior for them. He wasn't doing it for praise and recognition, he just wanted to help them. Sadly though, while he had been feeding them decently, none of them had grown any closer. It was evident by the way they completely ignored Lloyd and his warnings. He tried everything he could, but eventually went back to Kalin in defeat.

"It's no use, they won't listen to a word I say. I was hoping everything I've done to help would give me some sway, but they still resent me for living in the normal city." Kalin sighed, rubbing his head.

"Guess we'll just have to be on guard duty tonight. Penny and Xander are tough, but with the two of us we should be able to handle them."

"Let's hope so. Go ahead and get yourself set up for an all-nighter. I need to go back home to check on Jack before we get ourselves into this." Kalin understood what he meant, and patted Lloyd on the arm.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, don't worry. I'll have your back." Lloyd laughed.

"I shouldn't have to be reassured by a kid a third my age, but thanks shadow."

"I said not to call me that." Lloyd didn't respond, just smiling as he looked out at the slums.

"We're going to protect them."

"I know."

* * *

Lloyd hadn't come back yet, but honestly, Kalin was happy about that. It made sure he didn't see him in such a pitiful state. Kalin tried to get back to his feet, but the foot was in his stomach before he could even react, forcing blood out of his mouth and throwing him back quite a few feet.

"I knew the rumors about shadow was true, but I didn't expect him to be such a weak little kid." Kalin growled as he looked up at Xander, the one tasked with holding him off as Penny went around slaughtering just about anyone she could get her hands on. Bodies lined the streets around him, but he couldn't worry about that. At this rate, he was going to die too.

"I...I'm not a kid." Kalin got to his feet quickly this time, ignoring the pleas from his body to just stay down. "And I'm not going to let you do what you want with these people! Their lives aren't worth any less than yours just because you're royalty!" There was venom in his words that made Xander react purely on instinct, effortlessly gliding forward and slamming Kalin's head into the ground.

"I don't know what sort of issues you have with us, but I don't care. We do what we want _because_ of who we are. If you can't wrap your head around that, then you're just a naive child." Kalin wanted to retort, but the larger man just shoved his face further into the concrete. He hated it, but he needed the abilities he had left behind to survive this. He couldn't win the fight, but at the very least he could escape with some survivors. Xander pulled his hand away, lifting his boot to crush Kalin's skull.

"I feel sick just thinking about it...dammit." Kalin looked up at Xander, blood leaking out from his nose and mouth. "Ninja art, shadow rush." Xander went to bring his foot down, but all it met was the concrete. Kalin was gone in a wisp of black smoke, although he appeared quickly as his body collapsed only a few feet away.

"Hm, so you're more than just a weak kid. You're a weird weak kid." Kalin coughed and stood back up, biting down on his tongue to stop himself from answering back. He needed as much focus as possible, but the edges of his vision were already turning black from the small use of his technique. He really should have trained more.

"I'm not a kid...I'm a ninja." Kalin wrapped his scarf around his face and disappeared once again, out of Xander's sight. Most of the ordeal after that was a blur, Kalin could barely control himself while using the technique, and it still reminded him of the hell he had left behind. By the time he finally came to, he was sitting in the old sewer system under the city with a group of kids and a few adults all huddles around him. They flinched slightly when he opened his eyes, a sense of fear in their expressions.

"T-that thing you did to save us...how…" Kalin waved the man off who had asked, not wanting to talk about it. He stood up but nearly fell over immediately, except that he was caught by a familiar face.

"You did good shadow." Kalin looked up to see Lloyd, and he was relieved to see his friend had survived.

"I'm sorry...I couldn't stand up to them." Lloyd shook his head, not seeming concerned with that.

"No, it's my fault. I was attacked on my way back home and knocked out. By the time I came to, it was pretty much all over. I only found you because all of the locals were talking about the black smoke that disappeared along with all the survivors."

"Still, I failed! I couldn't protect anyone!"

"You protected them." Lloyd gestured around to everyone in the room, many of who were very young kids staring at Kalin in reverence. "Even if you had only saved one person it would have been a win, but you saved more than that. And you're alive! I couldn't ask for any more than that." Kalin gave a weak smile, but it fell away at Lloyd's next words. "But I can't help you any more. This time they targeted me...next time it could be my wife or son. I can't-"

"No, you're right. I can't be protected for the rest of my life, and neither can these people." Kalin stood up fully now, pushing away from Lloyd. "Ya know, I said I didn't have a name but that's not true. I left that name behind me, effectively killing my old self off. My past doesn't matter anymore, what matters is what I do with my present." Kalin stepped up onto a cardboard box, clearing his throat so everyone could hear him. "Listen to me, all of you. As Lloyd said until now all of you knew me as the shadow. With him leaving, I'm going to have to be the one that steps up to take care of all of you. But we're not doing this the old way any more, no more of this 'every man for themselves' bull. If we're going to beat those assholes that have put us in this situation we need to work together. My name is Ha…" Kalin stopped and shook his head. That kid was dead, this was a new story. "My name is Kalin, and I'm gonna teach all of you how to become a shadow like me."

* * *

Kalin had lost himself while telling the story, but when he finally came back he saw both Aria and Lloyd crying together at the passion he had spoken with. At some point during the story, Scarlett and Hinata had shown up as well, both listening intensely to the story.

"Would you knock it off! Especially you Lloyd!"

"B-but it was such a good story...I haven't ever heard you talk about it fully like that." Aria nodded to agree with Lloyd.

"Well whatever, now you know the whole story. I've been getting stronger since then, and this time we're gonna break this ridiculous system." Aria reached up to wipe away her tears and hopped off the stool she was sitting on and stood in front of her two crew members.

"We're here to help, right guys?" She looked back, and both of them nodded solemnly. After hearing a story like that, there's no way they could stop themselves from getting involved. Kalin smiled, clenching his fist as he realized the time might have finally come.

"Alright, let's do this."

* * *

**Yay, backstory! Yes, Kalin has more of a past that will be revealed in the future, but as we can tell he doesn't want anything to do with it. So for now, that's all you're gonna get! I'll try to get chapter 5 done before I leave for college, but you probably won't read this until after I've already left! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


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